In this audio edition of Cumming’s thriller, narrator Jot Davies’s crisp, stiff-upper-lip performance perfectly captures Thomas Kell, a former British agent who was unceremoniously dismissed from MI6 after two decades of service for his involvement in a torture scandal. But to his surprise, Kell’s given a shot at reinstatement. All he has to do is find a missing person, the agency’s first female chief, Amelia Levene, who went missing in France prior to her official appointment. Davis’s characterizations are subtle but effective: a slightly softer delivery for females, an understated accent for French characters. His rendition of Amanda captures the character’s sophisticated haughtiness, as well as her self-doubt, while his Kell remains unflappably British in his quest for answers and redemption. A St. Martin’s hardcover. (Aug.)